Sulzer and Tamturbo join forces in high-speed compression

Sulzer and Tamturbo will together bring the benefits of high-speed technology in air compression to customers that need intrinsically safe oil-free air. The target is to replace existing technologies such as oil-free screw compressors in these applications. The global agreement between the companies covers sales to all industries, focusing on Sulzer’s key industries such as pulp and paper, food, metals, mining and chemical processing.

Sulzer has used high-speed technology in its products for more than 20 years. The HST™ turbo compressor is the market leader in low-pressure compression e.g. in wastewater treatment applications. With this cooperation, Sulzer is tapping into a similar technological transformation in industrial air compression that happened in the low-pressure blower market from 1996 onwards.

Tamturbo as a company focuses on the industrial oil-free compressed air market. The high-efficiency turbo compressors developed and manufactured by Tamturbo produce oil-free air that does not contaminate the product. They typically supply 3-10 bar pressure to industrial compressed air networks ─ at the lowest possible total cost of ownership.

The core of the cooperation agreement is the high-speed technology with active magnetic bearings. The application of variable frequency electrical supply and advanced control technologies also plays an important role in the products. The flow mechanics are optimized by advanced calculation to make sure no energy is wasted. The HSR line of high-speed turbo compressors that Sulzer launched in December 2018 builds on this advanced technology (sulzer.com/hsr).

Sulzer’s long experience in product development, thorough customer application knowhow and extensive marketing and sales channels combined with Tamturbo’s agility to develop innovative technologies and validate them in different applications are the cornerstones for bringing high-tech products for high-speed compression to the market.

“We are happy to provide the necessary backbone and muscle to our customers’ effort to save energy, provide safe and clean air to the processes, and to make sure that unnecessary breakdowns and hefty maintenance bills are history in the field of oil-free compressed air.“ Saku Vanhala, Product Portfolio Manager at Sulzer

“The cooperation with Sulzer to transform the industrial air compressor market by combining our accumulated capabilities will bring financial, environmental and reliability benefits to customers globally. We see strong potential in accelerating the technology disruption with Tamturbo’s sustainable products also in the industrial medium-pressure compressor market.” Olli Kuismanen, Director, Partnerships at Tamturbo